Last week, Jay Leno had his studio audience cracking up during a “Headlines” segment by brandishing an ad in which a cat owner was brushing her pet’s teeth.

“No cat would EVER let you do this,” he quipped.

But as February signals the start of National Pet Dental Health Month, pet owners might learn that teeth cleaning is often no laughing matter.

“It’s just a focus to try and get people to think about pet’s teeth as we would for people,” says Heidi Lewis, a veterinary technician at Clinton Parkway Animal Hospital, 4340 Clinton Parkway.

The American Veterinary Dental Society estimates more than 80 percent of dogs and cats over the age of 4 exhibit signs of oral disease. Lewis says it’s the most common disease she encounters but one of the hardest for people to treat.

“In cats, it’s similar to a cavity. Dogs can get cavities but not very often,” Lewis explains. “Usually, it’s periodontal disease. The issue becomes when that progresses to the point where the bacteria can actually enter the bloodstream. Chronic inflammation and chronic infection can spread into their internal organs.”

This alone can’t kill a pet, she says.

“But I’ve seen where it aggravates a condition,” she says. “Like if they’re in kidney failure, one of the common things we’ll see is that they have bad teeth.”

To aid in the prevention of dental woes, Lewis recommends pets receive a dental exam, which can be done on its own or as part of a yearly physical.

“Pets really are individuals. Some have really good dental health with no care. Others need to have a lot of care,” she says.

If the teeth are fine to begin with, then Lewis will suggest steps owners can take at home. These could include special dental-friendly chew bones for dogs. Both dogs and cats can benefit from altered diets. Then there is that special meat-flavored toothpaste to consider.

“Ideally, we would have every owner brush their pet’s teeth on a daily basis. But realistically that’s not going to happen,” she adds.

If these at-home steps don’t do the trick, then it may be time to employ professionals. (Most Lawrence veterinarians provide dental cleaning services.)

“We actually scale off the plaque and the tartar that’s there, as well as getting up underneath the gumline. But we also polish the teeth. We can usually clean up mild to moderate periodontal disease,” Lewis says.

The procedure can take as short as 20 minutes to as long as an hour and a half. And it can be quite expensive.

Lewis says, “It’s not like (humans) being able to go into the dentist and sit in a chair. We have to actually anesthetize them, which is the majority of the cost.”

Cats versus dogs

There is some truth to Jay Leno’s assessment about taking care of a cat’s teeth, however.

“Most dogs are pretty good about it; it’s cats that hate it,” says veterinary technician Angela Yadon.

She says felines are good at disguising pain and rarely have their mouths open long enough for owners to notice if there are signs of dental distress.

But once anesthetized, cleaning a cat’s mouth is relatively easy compared to a large breed of dog that might have a lot of staining or broken teeth.

Even though February is National Pet Dental Health Month, both Lewis and Yadon admit they rarely encounter any unusual creatures that need oral care.

“The focus is more on companion animals,” Lewis says.

“We don’t see a lot of monkeys or other exotics. We do see a few ferrets. And occasionally they will have some dental disease we will address. As far as the bulk of it, it’s pretty much dogs and cats.”